Ireland as it is, and as it would be under Home RuleBuckley, Robert John
History
Ireland as it is, and as it would be under Home Rule
Buckley, Robert John
Home rule -- Ireland; Ireland -- Politics and government -- 1837-1901; Irish question
The story of the Galway Bag Factory may serve as a pendant to the
story of Mr. McMaster's effort to benefit the Catholic peasantry of
the counties of Galway and Donegal. The concern had stopped for lack
of funds, and Father Peter Dooley went round the town endeavouring to
induce people to take shares in the concern, in order that the poor
folks of the district might have employment. The mills were reopened,
and at first, just at first, the people attended work with tolerable
regularity. They then fell off, coming for half a day, coming not at
all. The management actually instituted prizes for regularity of
attendance. The people, who professed to be dying for employment, had
to be bribed to come to work. Even this was ineffectual, and as a
certain number of people were required to work a loom, the absence of
one or two made the loom and the other workpeople idle, and as, in
order to pay expenses, every loom required to be constantly worked,
this skulking was not only annoying, but also a ruinous loss. Mr.
Miller, the manager, was compelled to get people over from Scotland,
after having long placarded the walls of Galway with notices of
vacancies which no Galway girls attempted to fill up. Father Peter
remonstrated, and pointed out that as he had been instrumental in
reopening the factory, he thought Mr. Miller should oblige him by
engaging Galway girls. The manager showed him the placards, and said
that if Father Peter would bring the people he would find them
employment. Father Peter Dooley went into the highways and hedges, but
not a soul could he bring in, although Mr. Miller seems to have been
so desperately beset that he would have jumped at the blind, the
maimed, the halt, and the lame. The good Father was beaten, but then
he had a reason--an excellent reason. When things go wrong in Ireland,
it is always some other fellow's fault, just as when the French are
beaten in battle they always scream _Nous sommes trahis_! Bad
characters had been admitted to the looms. Manager was surprised. Let
Father Peter point them out, and away they go--if Father Peter did not
hesitate to cast them again on the streets of Galway. Two girls were
dismissed. Some of the old workpeople returned to work intermittently,
as before. Father Peter wanted the two girls reinstated. The manager
declined to see-saw in this way, and sacrilegious Scotsman as he was,
dared to say that nothing went well when bossed by priests! From that
moment that manager was blighted. His sight grew dim, his hearing
became dull, his liver got out of order, his corns grew more numerous
and more painful, and a bald spot was seen on his crown. The people
worked as before, by fits and starts, but more fitty and starty than
ever. The factory was closed, and the manager died. They buried him
about a week ago, a sort of human jackdaw of Rheims without the curse
taken off. Protestants say the Galway workpeople wore him down, broke
his spirit and broke his heart, but Catholics know better.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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